SITE OF LAIIUAN. 



37 



M^mnder. Having; a particular dislike to the motion of a 

 steamer, ho selected tlio latter, in spite of our wretched 

 accommodation ; but I tJiat no time was to be lost 

 Feeling better in the morning. Sir James undertook to 

 sign a few papers : lie fainted twice during the day ; and, 

 when I called, just before sunset, with a boat's crew to 

 convej him on board, he was so exhausted that our 

 surgeon declared that it would be dangerous to remove 

 bim ; with groat rcluctfuicc therefore on vaj part, he was 

 left to imbibe for another night the fetid and pestilential 

 air of the Labxun plain. 



The selection of .such a site ibr the town of Labuan haii 

 been, not unnaturally, criticised. Several considerations 

 appeared at first to recommend it, while the objections 

 were thought to be such as time and skill would overcome. 

 The site fixed upon lay on the bay which had been 

 selected by all the naval officers, who had visited the 

 islandj as the best harbour for shipping. It presented 

 a beautiiiil beach, with a broad level plain behind it, for 

 building opeiations. It was liere that Captain Mundy 

 hoisted the English ensign, when the island wa*5 taken 

 possession of as a British colony. As to its malarious 

 character, that wa.s believed to be temporai'y, and to 

 proceed from the fresh-water swamp lying bclund the plain, 

 which admitted of being thoroughly drained. Doubts, 

 however, have been raised whether the sickness pro- 

 ceeded from the fresh-water swamp, or from the exposed 

 coral reefs which abound in the vicinity of the harbour. 



